


Dog Days

by kasey1939



Series: Dog [2]
Category: Lost Girl
Genre: Bo misses Kenzi, Dyson teaches Kenzi a few things, F/M, Lauren is in trouble
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-05 01:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4160955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kasey1939/pseuds/kasey1939
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Kenzi has gone through all her changes now she needs to learn how to live her new life and the last thing she needs is Fae problems but that's exactly what she gets. Now that there's a new pack in town she needs to learn everything she can as quick as she can if she wants to stay with Dyson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mindset

**Author's Note:**

> [](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Done%20Story%20Banners/Dog%20Days.jpg.html)
> 
>   
>    
> 

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the lost girl characters, but I do like to play with them for a bit. All for free these fun and games so enjoy them the same way.**

[](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Chapter%20art/Dog%20Wild/Dog%20Days/chapter%201.jpg.html)

  
  


Bo sat in the Dahl trying not the mope and knew from the worried looks being sent her way by Trick that she was failing miserably. She missed Kenzi... and Dyson, she understood why they were always together now but she still ached to see them again. It had been explained to her that she shouldn’t be around her bestie until she had better control of her new wolf but after a week of separation she felt really bad for them. They must miss her just as bad being out there all alone with nothing to do and no one to talk to but each other.

“Come on D-man I’m dying over here.” Dyson worked hard to keep the smile he felt tugging at his lips at bay.

“Kenzi, you aren’t tired.”

“Uh, yeah I am. My body I think I’d know.”

“No, your mind tells you that you should be tired so you think you are. You aren’t human any more!”

It had been a little over a week since her change and now they were in the woods on the outskirts of town working on her control and stamina. She was a shifter now but her mind was still imposing human limitations on her now less than human body. She hadn't even truly shifted once since her transformation, she kept getting in her own way. They wouldn't be going back to civilization until she learned to accept what she was now.

“One... one break?” She panted and begged.

“No! Now pick up the pace!” He knew he was coming across as harsh, but he knew that all she needed was one break through. All she had to do was call on her wolf once when her life wasn’t on the line and then the two would merge easily, and she would finally be at peace with what she had now become. For that to happen he had to push her to her limits, and then push her even farther.

“You sadist!”

Lachlan stared down at the papers on his desk completely ignoring the human doctor hovering just outside the door of his office humming with nervous energy. He still had not forgiven the mouthy little twit for speaking of Light Fae business with her unaligned lover. He had given her punishment a great deal of thought and had decided to just ignore her for a time. Nothing he devised would torment her as much as her thoughts were at the moment, she was a nervous wreck wondering what he would do to her when he finally made a decision, and it was very entertaining. 

Fixing a scowl on his face he looked up quickly and barked “What?” in his most intimidating voice and fought hard to suppress his laughter as he watched her jump and scurry away like a rodent.

Trick shook his head muttering softly to himself as he wiped down his bar and tried to block out the brooding of his grand-daughter. Bo had taken to glaring into her beer here whenever Lauren was otherwise occupied and it took all he had not to snap at her to go home. 

He knew she missed Kenzi but they all knew she would be safe with Dyson so he didn’t understand her attitude. Glancing her way once more he found no change and sighed before attacking the bar with more force. He couldn’t wait for this whole mess to come to an end. Maybe then his constant headache would go away. Stealing another covert look at Bo somehow he doubted that would be the case.

Lauren sat in her lab too rattled to actually work and tried to calm her heart rate down. She wished Lachlan would just settle on a punishment and get it over with already the waiting and not knowing was killing her. Turning her thoughts to something else she thought about the last week she’d spent with Bo, to say it has been strained would be an understatement. She only hoped that when Kenzi returned everything would get back to the way it was before, but somehow she just didn’t see that happening.

Dyson stood outside the cabin he was sharing with Kenzi and took a deep breath letting his wolf rise to the surface searching for the scent he caught earlier. Finding it he closed his eyes and concentrated on placing it. Wolf, more than one, and not any he’d ever come across before. There was an unknown pack in his territory.

Marcus looked out at his packmates as they looked around their new home, getting their bearings, this was not their usual place they tended to avoid other Fae as much as possible, choosing to stay in forest and woodland areas instead. Only big events ever made them change their ways, like the call of an Omega. He didn't know how an Omega wolf had come to be, all he knew was that a week before he felt it deep in his chest. A calling. His instincts reacted immediately and he and his pack began the slow journey here to the side of the new Omega. He'd consulted Mystics along the way, many of whom knew little more than he did; only one really had anything new to tell him.

"The girl is not alone. She has another wolf at her side. A lone wolf. A protector."

A lone wolf was no protector, no competition. He would find this Omega, this girl, and bring her into his pack where she belonged.


	2. Training Part 1 - Claws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenzi starts to learn how to use her new wolf-itude

[](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Chapter%20art/Dog%20Wild/Dog%20Days/chapter%202.jpg.html)

  
  


Kenzi stared down at Dyson’s outstretched hand, his once short nails now razor sharp claws, and frowned with frustration. Why couldn’t she do that? They had been “practicing” for hours now and still her mani was completely flawless.

“Ahhh, I’m never going to get this.”

“Yes you will, it will just take time, and effort.”

“Is that how you mastered all your wolfy-ness oh great one?”

The way he ducked his head down and smiled, made her heartbeat thunder in her ears, not that she would ever truly go there. But still that smile was downright lethal.

“No, it’s not.”

“Then why can’t I learn the way you did?” Anything had to be better than this way. She just wasn’t getting any of it this way.

“Because, I was born with my wolf, I was never anything other than what I am now. There were no limitations I needed to overcome. With me it was always more about learning not to shift, than learning to do it.”

“Oh, dude, did you like run around as a little wolf cub? Was that your people’s version of a toddler running around bare ass? Even if you didn’t I now totally have it as a mental image and it’s soooo cute.”

“Come on Kenzi, try to focus, the sooner you learn this the sooner we can leave this cabin and head back to town.”

She scrunched up her face so that he could see that she was concentrating just like he asked, but at the same time she couldn’t help but think about what he’d said. Did she want to leave here? This cabin in the woods where it was just her and D-man, chilling and talking all day and all night? With a jolt she realized that no, no she didn’t want to leave. But why?

She missed her BoBo she really did, even though they hadn’t parted ways on the best of terms, she knew she and her bestie would work things out like always. She’d made new friends or really better friends of not only Dyson, but Trickster and the formerly dubbed Ash-hole. She and doc hot pants had developed a little friction but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with some good old fashioned avoidance. So what was her deal?

She didn’t know why she was so afraid to go back, and afraid she was. She might not like admitting to her fears out loud, especially when the Fae were within earshot, but she could still recognize them for her own and she was afraid.

Looking up as Dyson took her hand and moved it this way, and that way, trying to help her do what came so naturally to him she had her answer. She was afraid of Dyson. Not like afraid, afraid, but scared witless of losing him. When she finally go this whole wolf business down and went back to where they both belonged, he would go back to where he belonged. Bo’s arms. 

Not, that she really had a problem with that, if Bo-balicious was who made his wolf sit up and howl then all the power to them both, but something way down deep inside of her sat up and snarled at the mental picture show that went along with that idea. She didn’t understand that any more than she understood anything else that was happening in her life at the moment, so she did what she always did when life got too complicated to deal with, she pushed at all to the way side and concentrated on one thing at a time. She would sprout some claws if it was the last thing she did!

Dyson watched as Kenzi’s face got all serious, a sure sign that was really thinking about other things, but it was so cute he decided to let her have her little mental dialogue for the moment. If it went on for too long he could always bring her focus back to where it was really needed after all. For now though he had a few mental road blocks to overcome himself. When he’d talked about them leaving the cabin and going back to the Dahl his heart had skipped a beat leaving a burning sensation in his chest. 

He knew he loved Kenzi, and deep down he and his wolf were both sure that she returned his feelings, but at the same time he couldn’t force himself to say the words to her when she was awake and coherent enough to truly hear them. He was being a coward, he knew that, but he just couldn’t force those words out of his throat where they burned waiting to be said. He was stuck in the land of what if. What if she didn’t feel the same way? What if she did feel those feeling for him but he rushed her and messed it all up? What if the woman who made him, both man and wolf, content didn’t say it back? 

Letting his eyes slide closed for a moment he let those thoughts run wild for a moment, before he slammed the door shut on them. Now was not the time for that, now was the time for training. If there really was an unknown pack in the area like he thought, then Kenzi would need to know how to defend herself, and that began with being able to call her wolf claws into her human form. In close combat they were better than any knife.

“Come on Kenzi, you can do this. You’re just over thinking it. The wolf, your wolf, is a part of you. She’s always with you, just beneath the surface. Waiting to help you survive anything, willing to let you draw on her strength and her true predatory nature. The claws are just a part of that. Always there but hidden from sight until truly needed or asked for. Close your eyes and see your wolf, you’ve seen her before, just let her in if only a little bit, let her guide you to what needs to happen. Just let go, that little bit, let the wolf inside of you rise to the surface.”

He watched as slowly her nails began to change to the claws he’d always known were there. When she opened her eyes again instead of the grey ice blue of her human side the bright gold of her wolf shone through.

“Good. Very good.”

He wasn’t so worried now, now that he knew that if it came down to it she could and would do whatever she had to in order to survive. He shouldn’t have been so surprised Kenzi had been a survivor long before she’d ever met the Fae and now that she was Fae herself that wouldn’t change.


	3. History Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenzi learns some shifter history.

[](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Chapter%20art/Dog%20Wild/Dog%20Days/Chapter%203.jpg.html)

  
  


Kenzi sat at the rustic little table in the middle of her current home, a cabin in the woods was swankier than some of the places she'd lived during her short life but still not really her scene, and waited for the history lesson to begin.

She could rock her claws now, and her endurance while running was getting up to where Dyson said it should be, but before she could try for a full shift which was something she so wasn't looking forward to since she was beyond pos that she would fail at it miserably, she had to start rocking her lore first. 

Apparently shifters had a rich history that every member of the “clan” had to be aware of before they could be at one with themselves or something, she so hoped there wasn't going to be a test on this stuff, if school taught her anything it was that she did not test well at all. 

“So we will start at the beginning and work our way through to what you are at the end. There are many different kinds of shifter, pretty much every animal in the world has a shifter clan associated with it, even non-predators. For the moment since you're so new to the life you need only concern yourself with the wolves, your own people. 

“The wolves are among the most dominant of the shifter Fae out there, we out number and out perform any other class of them. We're the deadliest, the most agile, the strongest physically, and barring fatal battle injuries we tend to have a longer life span than the average shifter.”

“Sure that isn't just species pride talking, I mean if I were to ask a, I don't know a leopard shifter who was the biggest and the bestest do you think their answer would sync up with yours?” She couldn't help herself, he sounded just like her Russian mama when she talked about any other immigrant culture. Everyone knew that Russians were the most integrated, they learned the language, the customs, and the ways of the Americans far faster and better than anyone else. In her opinion anyway.

He smiled, looking down as sheepishly as a wolf could manage. 

“Probably not, but it's also well known that we're the smartest.”

Ah ha, she knew what this was, it was fine though she supposed that as a wolf herself she should learn to take some pride in who she'd become. So she waved her hand for the “lesson” to continue.

“Every culture has it's own origin story and of course wolves are no different. According to our legends a long long time ago, a group of Fae lived in harmony with the animals of the forests that surrounded them. They were so in tuned with the beasts of the land that they utilized them in battle, pitting them against the forces of their enemies without mercy. Many kinds were used but none so powerful nor so regal as the wolves. 

“Soon enough with the help of their four legged brethren the Fae ruled over the land, subjugating any who dared to stand in their path. Furious the other, weaker, Fae banded together in a final attempt to overthrow their powerful oppressors calling upon ancient magicks long since lost to the world of man and beast. In a great show of power they cursed the Fae and their beasts to become one, thinking that such and abomination would surely sicken and die quickly it was so unnatural.

“This worked for a time, our Fae ancestors were so thrown by the new changes thrust upon them that they were momentarily weakened and the others were able to overthrow them. Banished to the forests to live among the other animals, they each tried to overcome their new limitations and to master their new powers alone, none of them trusting the others enough to show weakness in the open. It wasn't until one of the wolves saw a group of his natural born brothers hunting as a pack that he discovered the problem that they were all facing. They were no longer solitary creatures, but a pack. The lone wolf rarely survives the wilds alone so he called to his brothers and sisters sharing his news in his howl upon the winds. 

“Hearing his plea for understanding and aide the others raced to his side, pulling together to form one solid group.”

How sweet, she doubted that was the end of the story, he looked like a little boy about to finally get to the good part of his favorite fairy-tale, but it was still a nice idea. That everyone could just pull together like that for their own good, nice, but completely unrealistic. Wolves might work that way, but humans sure as hell didn't and even though most would rather cut out their own tongues than admit it the Fae were more like humans than they knew. Unless she missed her mark someone was about to get very unhappy with the status-quo and a rebellion was about to begin. 

That was the human way, why settle for what I have when I could have so much more?

“However, there were some among the collective that did not feel they were being heard as they should. When they were all still simply Fae they each had their own territory to run and now they could not stand to be told what to do by another. Seeking a compromise the leader offered a solution, he suggested that all who wanted to go their own way do so taking whoever wished to follow them away to find their own territory once more.”

Basically the big guy had enough of their petty bitching and told them that if they didn't like how things were they could hit the road and try and do better on their own. Notoriously a bad idea. It usually ended one of two ways, either the people who split off did well and came back to bitch slap the one who tossed them out in the first place or the new faction was sent away so it would be easier to justify grinding them out under the old leaders boot heel. Either way someone ended up bloody or dead.

“That is how the clans were formed. Six leaders split off from the original group creating a total of seven separate packs. Of course from there more and more split off over the centuries creating more and more clans so that now there are over two hundred separate clans in North America and Europe alone.”

Wow, at least the wolves weren't lying when they said they weren't lacking in numbers.

“Nice bedtime story. Do you think it's true?” Did D-man really think that this head honcho dude from way back when just let these other six dis him like that without so much as a bye-bye beat down?

“I believe that it is partially true, and that like with most origin myths it's been sanitized over the years to make it seem like it was all a lot more friendly than I'm sure it really was.” True that.

“Okay, so what about these clans, you said there were like hundreds do I need to know them all?” If she did she was so boned, if it wasn't a way to make some quick cash or something to avoid at risk of life and limb she had a crappy memory. One time a friend of hers said she would remember things better if she forgot how to drink Vodka, ever since then she remembered to avoid her, bitch be crazy. 

“No, with the way most of the small clans come and go if everyone had to knows of them all we would have no time for anything else. No you only need to know the names of the seven original clans and the ones that make trouble everywhere they go. When you meet a wolf for the first time they will introduce themselves with their name, their status, and their clan name. So it's easier for everyone if you know how to react to certain names. If someone is from the original seven then you treat them with respect or at times outright deference depending upon their rank. If they're a member of a trouble-making clan as long as they rank beneath you then you can either ignore their presence entirely or you can ask them to move along.”

“What's a rank?” The only ranks she knew were either military or Bratva. She doubted he meant either of those.

“There are four ranks for wolves. Alpha. Beta. Lýkos. Omega. The ranks are fluid which is why we introduce ourselves by telling what we are at the time. An Alpha can become a Lýkos, a Lýkos can become a Beta, and anyone can become an Alpha if they're good enough.

“An Alpha is a leader, the wolf in every pack that is in charge because he or she is both stronger and more cunning than any of the other wolves in the pack. Beyond that they also need to be able to truly lead their pack, if they are strong and cunning but can not lead their Betas to victory and prosperity then the Betas would all leave and the Alpha would become a Lýkos by default. You can't be an Alpha without a pack anymore than a pack can be a clan without an Alpha.

“A Beta is a simple foot soldier or a middle ranking member of the pack, they do as the Alpha commands and truly hold no status in the clan. A good Alpha treats their Betas with respect and consideration, especially since the Betas are the ones who do all the grunt work, but that is not always the case. In the best of circumstances a clan is like a family with the Alpha as the parent and the Beta's as the children. The Alpha guides and disciplines when necessary and the Betas learn from their mistakes in the safety of their pack. 

“A Lýkos is a lone wolf, a shifter without a clan. Someone can become a Lýkos in many different ways, some by choice and some by necessity.”

“Like you?” She hated to bring it up, but she knew her rank as an Omega, but now she wanted to know his.

“Yes, I am a Lýkos. Since I no longer have a clan I would introduce myself by saying formerly of before the name of my past clan.” She wanted to ask him way he left his clan or whatever but she had a feeling it was deeply personal and she didn't want to reopen old wounds or anything, not right now at least. They were close right now, but not that close. _Not yet_ , whispered a traitorous voice in the back of her mind, one she ruthlessly ignored.

“You are an Omega, and as I explained to you before they are outside of the pack hierarchy. So if you were to ever join a clan while the Betas are forced to obey their chosen Alphas commands or else leave the pack and become Lýkos you would be exempt from that. Back in the days when the Omegas were plentiful each clan had one, they were usually born into the pack but sometimes one would come from and outside clan usually through marriage. They were seen as balance keepers, they could keep tempers from getting the better of both the Alphas and the Betas. If someone was about to do something they would go to the clan Omega first seeking advice, to make sure they weren't about to make a hasty or ill advised decision. 

“Omegas didn't have the authority to tell people what to do like Alphas, but they were usually so even tempered and rational that their advice was heeded by all. They were the only members of the clan who gave council to the Alphas without it being seen as a power play, since an Omegas rank is fixed and can not shift to any other position.”

“What about a Lýkos I thought anyone could become one?” Didn't an Omega ever just go out on their own?

“Omegas were not allowed to wander without the protection of a clan, if an Omega wanted to leave the pack they were in they would have to petition the council to hear their case. If the council didn't find significant cause for the Omega to leave the protection of their current pack their petition was denied and they had to stay where they were.”

“Douchebags.” That didn't seem fair. So every other wolf was in charge of their own destiny, but Omegas had to beg permission to do something everyone else could just do. How was that balanced?

“They didn't do it to be mean Kenzi, I told you that Omegas were even tempered, well that affected their blood lust. In fights Omegas nearly always tried to injure their attackers rather than kill them, they had too much empathy so they would understand their opponents motives, but that left them vulnerable. Omegas needed the protection of the pack far more than anyone else, so it was harder for them to leave the pack behind.”

“Wait so you're saying that I won't be able to win a fight, ever?” No way, she always won her fights. She didn't always fight fair, but fighting fair was for suckers and losers.

“No, if it's important to you, if someone elses life is on the line and not just yours then Omegas are as vicious as any other wolf. It's only when the stakes aren't high enough that the drive to kill doesn't seem to rise in them.”

“Okay, I think I get it.” Well enough for now anyway, she would ask more questions after she'd had some time to think about things and really get her head around all this. She was on information overload at the moment. 

“Good let's review for a second then we can go do something fun, okay?”

“Okay.” Fun sounded good right about now, hopefully it would be something mindless, because all this thinking was making her brain hurt.

“So if you and I had never met before I would introduce myself as Dyson, Lýkos formerly of the Ailech Clan.”

“I am Kenzi Omega of the- wait what clan am I?” If Dyson was a Lýkos and didn't have a clan and he was the only wolf she knew what the hell did that make her? 

“Since I am the only clan you have, for the moment, you would introduce yourself using my surname as your clan title. So you would be of the Thornwood Clan.” Cool she didn't mind being in a clan with D-man, she knew he would look out for her, like he always did.

“So, hi I am Kenzi Omega of the Thornwood Clan.”


	4. Unresting Signs

[](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Chapter%20art/Dog%20Wild/Dog%20Days/Chapter%204.jpg.html)

  
  


Dyson looked up at the early morning sky from his kneeled position near the base of a tree. Whoever they were this pack was good. They left barely any evidence that they were in his territory, but he was an experienced tracker and he knew they were near. He might not be able to pinpoint exactly where they were, but just knowing they were there was half the battle won. They wouldn't have surprise on their side when they finally did decide to attack.

He knew what they were after, they wanted what every shifter would want once word got out, Kenzi. The only saving grace was that he knew they would never hurt her, so even if he did fail to protect her he knew she would be safe until the others could find her. He'd sent word to Trick that morning, and through him to Lachlan, from now on if he didn't check in once a day the alarm would be sounded and the Calvary would come running. 

Getting up he decided to take the walk he told Kenzi he was going on. He knew he should probably tell her what he suspected, but he didn't want her to panic while she was still so new to all of this. If her emotions got away from her, or panic began to set in, her wolf side could take over and force a shift. A forced shift was disorienting and painful, it wasn't what he wanted her first time to be. Once she turned for the first time on her own, after her wolf finally settled in as a part of her, then he would tell her about the threat he sensed looming. He knew it might not be the best way to handle this, that she might resent him for keeping things from her, things that she had every right to know. This was the only way he knew how to do this though, he didn't see any other option that gave her, her best chance. 

If the shift was forced, and Kenzi rejected the wolf inside of her, she may never find her way to acceptance and peace. She may never become whole again, as she should be. Wolves who split themselves in two, who adopted a me or my wolf mentality, they never lasted very long. One part can not exist without the other, they were connected, two halves a single personality. Hopefully Kenzi would be allowed to come to that truth on her own, before things came to a head. If not, he only hoped that when the wolf does rise to her aide, she will be able to accept her as a part of who she is now. That's what the lessons in Lore were about, it was the only fail-safe he could come up with, if she understood her wolf before it came, maybe she wouldn't be so afraid of it. Maybe this could all work out in the end.

Kenzi stood in front of the stove and tried to decide where to start. She wanted to cook Dyson some breakfast for when he got back from his walk, as a sort of a thank you for putting up with her for so long, but she wasn't the best cook ever so she needed to keep it simple. How hard could it be to cook some eggs? Maybe add some toast or something as a way to stretch it into an actual meal.

She knew she was lying to herself, sure she wanted to do something nice for D-man, but that wasn't the whole reason for her newest endeavor. She was trying to distract herself, get out of her own head if only for a little while. Trying to cook was just the only way she could think to do that, do something mindless and maybe her mind would slow down and take a breather. 

She was just so filled with all of these different thoughts and emotions it was beginning to make her brain hurt. She was so confused and turned around that she didn't know how she felt about anything anymore, the most simple things were nothing but a jumble now. 

Bo, Dyson, Trick, Lachlan, herself. 

None of it made any sense anymore, and she knew that as long as she was conflicted like this, all tied up in knots and tangles, she wouldn't be able to move forward like she needed to. Like she wanted to. So she would cook and take it one step at a time, try to get her head on straight while she was alone and had the time to think things through without worrying that something of her thoughts would show on her face and D-man would get worried. So first things first. 

Trick had always been good to her, in his own way, but until recently she'd thought of him as Bo's Trick. Much like everything else in their lives, he was Bo's first and hers second, if at all. Which made total sense, since he was her grand-father or whatever, but now she didn't know what he was anymore. He'd helped her when she needed it and even kept it all a secret from Bo, just because she'd asked. He would always be what he is to Bo, blood was binding probably especially to someone who used to be known as the Blood King, but what did this make him to her? 

Were they friends now? Acquaintances? Something more, less, somewhere in between? 

She knew she couldn't truly answer that without talking with Trick, but maybe she could figure out where she stood now. He'd helped her when he didn't have to. He kept her secrets and went the extra mile for her. So maybe the real question wasn't were they friends, but were they family. In her experience only family stuck their neck out for you and went above and beyond. So maybe that's what they were now, family. Like her and Bo. Smiling at the thought, she decided to just let it stand there for the moment, at least until she and Trick could have a face to face so she could see where he stood on the matter. 

Dyson and Bo were sort of intertwined for her. 

Did she care about Dyson, yes. 

Did she love him, maybe. 

Did he love her, probably not. 

Who was she kidding who would love her when they had Bo waiting for them. Even if he did feel for her what she felt for him, could she do that to Bo? Could she really break the girlfriends code so badly? 

Uh! All these questions had no answers yet, and all they did was make her headache worse. She'd just have to shelve that for a later time, like never. Never totally worked for her. 

Moving on to Lachlan, seriously what was up with that guy. One second he was evil, then he was good, then he was somewhere in the snarky middle. They had sort of become maybe friends during the whole crisis of her turning, and she thought maybe she had earned at least a little of his respect with her refusal to bow down and lick boot. Though with his stone cold poker face it was a little hard to tell sometimes exactly what he thought of her, or anyone else for that matter. Could a human even be “friends” with a Light Fae leader. That thought froze her, body and mind. Oh, right, she wasn't human anymore. 

She had never really sat down and thought about the changes that would cause in her life beyond the obvious ones anyway, well she supposed now was as good a time as any. So now for herself, what was she now, other than a complete mess?

She was a shifter, but she didn't even really know what that meant. Sure she understood the concept, she had that one pretty down already, spending so much time around Dyson and listening to Bo talk about him even when he wasn't around gave her a good idea of what a shifter was. Add to that all the lessons and Lore she'd been learning lately, and she knew a lot about shifters. That didn't really help her though, because while she knew a lot about shifters, she still knew next to nothing about being a shifter.

Could she be a shifter? Could she really let her human-ness go? If she couldn't was there even an alternative? She knew she couldn't go back, there was no reversing the change, but was there a middle ground? She still didn't have the answers to all those questions, but hopefully she'd find it before she had to leave her woodland oasis and re-enter the big bad world. 

Looking down at her “meal” she made she felt a little better. She might not have answered all of the questions burning holes in her mind, but at least she figured out what most of the questions really were now. She knew where she stood now with the Trick-mister and former Ash-hole, and she worked through some of her own insecurities and issues, now all she needed to do was find out where to stash Dyson. 

Was he destined to stay in the friend zone or did she owe it to herself to give him a chance at the something more arena? Shrugging she figured that was something better left up to the both of them, not just her, and Bo-Bo would fall back into place once everything else was stowed away. 

Hearing Dyson coming she closed her eyes for a minute and shoved all her crazy back in a box and decided to just go with the flow. If nothing else she had to admit that their flow was good. 

Bo couldn't take it anymore! It had been two weeks and she still hadn't heard word one from Kenzi or Dyson. They should have been back by now, two weeks was plenty long enough to get a handle on the basics, at least enough to come home. Once Kenzi was back here where she belonged, they could figure out the rest together. Kenzi had helped her gain control of her succubus abilities, why wouldn't she come home already so she could return the favor. 

“Trick!” Marching down the steps into his “lair” always seemed weird to her, but she had to get his help. He was the only one she could think of, besides Hale, that Dyson might be keeping in contact with. Maybe he could at least tell her when they would be coming home.

“Bo, now is truly not a good time. I am going to see the Ash on a matter of some importance.” What did he mean he didn't have time right now, this was important. The Ash could wait, he was a grade A dick anyway, a little waiting might do him some good. 

“Why would you – never mind, that's not important right now. I need to get in touch with Kenzi and Dyson.” If anyone could help her find them it would be Trick. Finger crossed, since she already struck out with Hale.

“Why?” He wasn't paying her much attention, still searching his room for something. 

“So I can tell them to come home already, enough is enough.” Why didn't anyone understand that? They had both been gone too long as it is. She needed them both back here, life just wasn't the same without them. 

“Now is not the time for them to return, they will come back once Kenzi is ready and not a second sooner.” She watched Trick storm out leaving her behind. What had gotten into him? He acted like them being gone was a good thing instead of the catastrophe that it really was. 

Well if Trick wouldn't help her, she knew someone who would. She just needed to make an appointment with her doctor. 

Trick pushed aside his worries about Bo and made his way to the Light Compound. Dyson's message was troubling and required an immediate response. Wolves in the area, they thought they would have at least a month before word got out and others came searching for Kenzi. It seems they had been a little too optimistic. 

“Lachlan.”

“Ah, Trick, what brings you by?” He wished it was under more pleasant circumstances, but if he was to do what needed to be done, he would need allies. Kenzi needed to be protected. While he knew that normally the protection of one Fae, especially an unaligned one like Kenzi, would not spark the Ashes interest he knew that his friend held a soft spot for both Kenzi and Dyson. 

“I bring news.”

“From your tone, I take it the tidings are not good.”

Knowing nothing he could say would explain better than Dyson's own words he simply handed the message he'd received to his friend. He watched as his face become more and more contorted with every word he read, his fury visible for all to see.

“Fuck!” Exactly.


	5. Life's Shifting Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenzi tries to shift but things go horribly wrong

[](http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/kasey19391/media/Chapter%20art/Dog%20Wild/Dog%20Days/Chapter%205_1.jpg.html)

  
  


Kenzi felt ridic’ running around and around in circles going from one side of their cabin to the other, her wolf simply would not take over. She knew she was failing and she knew Dyson was watching her fail and that was just making everything that much worse.

Arghhhh! Why couldn’t she do this? She understood the whole process, in theory at least, she’d seen Dyson do it over a dozen times in the last three days. Why couldn’t she do it? Pushing herself to run even faster she hoped that if she was exhausted enough it would all just happen on its own without her having to do anything about it. Not that, that theory had worked for her so far, but a girl could dream couldn’t she. 

She knew that if she could just get out of her own headspace things would work out, she could see it in the way Dysons face would light up just before his shift washed over him. It was like he just let go of everything in the world around him and sank into a welcoming embrace. Which she supposed the wolf side could be, if you weren’t so terrified of it all. She wanted that, she wanted to be like Dyson, picking up her pace again she watched the world around her blur by her mind moving even faster than her legs.

Dyson watched as Kenzi pushed herself into higher gear. He knew he had to take a step back now, he could have told her why her sift wasn’t taking hold, but this was not one of those problems that could be solved by the simple telling of it. If Kenzi was ever going to be able to call on her wolf side without her life being in mortal danger she was going to have to work this out on her own. 

Thinking of her wolf as a separate being, as an alter ego that could come out and protect her when the going got too rough, was not the way to merge with her other side. The only time her shift was going to become a natural progression for her would be when she finally let go of this separatism in her mind and acknowledged that she _was_ the wolf and the wolf was her. 

Being a shifter didn’t change who you were, your wolf side wasn’t diametrically opposite to your _human_ side. The two complemented each other, balance and counter-balance. Your wolf was you, only it was your raw instincts, your gut without your mind getting in the way. It was feeling without the block of logic, for the wolf the world was always black and white. Right and Wrong. Predator and Prey.

Kenzi’s main problem was that she kept letting her human brain stand in the way of her new wolf heart. She kept over thinking things and tripping herself up. She had to move past that before they could ever leave this cabin. A wolf who couldn’t shift at will wasn’t just an easy target, but a danger to those around them. Not shifting when you want to doesn’t mean you don’t shift at all. You could only cage your baser instincts for so long before they fought you for control and won. Shifting wasn’t the problem, controlling that shift was.

Beginning to shed his clothes he rushed towards her, his wolf keeping pace at her side. Come on Kenzi, just let go.

Kenzi kept stealing glances over toward D-man in his furry form. The guy was mag-a-licous as a cop, but as a wolf he was rockin’. She was so focused on watch the movement as his muscles as he ran on all fours, her mind drifting to how freeing it must feel to be so strong, that she nearly missed what happened next. 

Something, she wasn’t sure what, came flying from the trees and slammed into Dyson’s hind leg hard enough to force him to skid across the dirt trying to stay on his feet. A soft low keen rending the air as he skidded to a harsh stop.

Her instincts had her crouching low to the ground, eyeing the tree line for any visible movement or disturbance, as she slowly made her way over towards her downed protector. As she got close enough to see the damage, and the blood, she saw that the projectile was really a knife. This was a deliberately debilitating wound, one that wouldn’t kill only incapacitate. If anything happened now and her instincts forced her to flee she would be going alone. There was no way Dyson could even limp on that leg let alone run with it.

Silently thanking her lucky stars for all the wolf lessons Dyson had insisted on when they’d first began this journey of theirs in the wilderness, she knew that if she could get him inside and pull the knife out then he would be fully healed in under an hour. Easy peasy. 

Sensing no movement from the trees she began to drag the downed wolf towards the door of their home, being as gentle as she could without losing speed. The fact that all he could manage was a pathetically pained whimper had her new found hackles rising. Someone would pay for this! Dyson was pack and no one hurt her pack. No one hurt her Dyson.

Closing the door behind them she fortified their position, doing everything on Dyson’s checklist that he’d shown her the first day they arrived. Barricading all the doors and windows, making sure that all the available weapons were within easy reach, sending out a text to Trick to come running with the cavalry, check, check, check. Of course at the time they’d been worried about a more known enemy and not a shadowy coward hiding in the woods. This should keep them out regardless.

Quickly double checking her handiwork she finally deemed the cabin safe enough that she could turn her attention more fully to Dyson. While she knew that the wound wasn’t lethal, at least not to a shifter, she also knew that she needed to do everything she could to get him back into at least partial fighting shape before whoever threw the knife came back for round two. She needed Dyson to at least be strong enough to fend off an attack against himself, she would take care of everything else. 

School was over, it was finally graduation day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N – So this is the beginning of the end for this story. We only have five more chapters left and it will be over and done with. Hope you liked it and the next chapter will be a monster of a thing, the fighting will begin. I’m a little nervous about it, I haven’t really done many action packed fight scenes so this should be an interesting experience.


End file.
